Have The Times Changed Much?

WED., NOV. 13, 1996, 8:53 AM
OFFICE, PULLIAM

Your morning study group is in the midst of one of the classic Bible stories – the sons of Isaac. The generation before, Abraham was told to kill his son Isaac, as a test of his faith in the God Who spoke to him. He prepared to do this, but the Lord spared Isaac and apparently was satisfied with Abraham’s commitment to Him. Now Isaac has two sons, but I favor the younger, Jacob, over the older, Esau.

Then comes the bizarre, comic scene with Rebekah helping Jacob fool his blind father, Isaac, into giving him the blessing that should have been Esau’s. The sit-com continues with Jacob fleeing the potential wrath of his brother, falling in love with Rachel, his cousin, almost immediately, and then working seven years for his uncle… for Rachel as a wife. Now he is tricked, and he gets Leah, who starts bearing sons, one after another. Then her maid has some of Jacob’s offspring, as does Rachel’s maid. Finally he works for the hand of Rachel, and she finally has a son, the Joseph, who will be the star of a “coming attraction”.

Yes, o son, it is equally comical to hear right wing politicians calling for a return to the family values of Our Christian heritage and the Scriptures. Almost nothing anyone could be accused of doing will match the antics of Jacob and his kin, who will be renamed Israel and is your spiritual heritage. It is good that you see this historical story as important because it has not been “cleaned up” (or, as you ask, has it been?) It is your long ago spiritual heritage, “warts and all”.

Now your culture (in its dominant mode) bewails out-of-wedlock pregnancies, but these continue (and most of the children will not be as famous and important as those born to these “multi-mothers”. In Biblical times the children belonged to the man. Now they are the mother’s unless she is unfit, and the fathers often don’t seem to care. Changes come, and times are different, but not clearly better. You have divorce, which means one wife at a time, but there are more women than men, so an increasing number of women have no man, of their own or to share. The earth scene is not worse now, but neither is it better.

Wealth, in this story, seems to have been measured in animals rather than in money. Today few people have animals of their own, of any value, but instead there is money, checks, and credit cards. In your culture the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. In Africa the strong survive and the weak die off, violently or from starvation. I see all of this, all as a current panorama, and, outside of time, as an historical picture. I am no more troubled by it than I was by the actions of Rebekah, Jacob, and Loban. In that story I was helping in certain ways, but also letting people live as they would. Today I work when, where, how, and with whom I choose, and observe all of the rest of human action, mostly with a smile.

I’ll say yet again that I see much more love and concern for others than violence, anger, and hate. The earth is a fine setting for spiritual growth… was then, is now, and will continue to be. There was much publicity regarding the rioting and property destruction here in this town several weeks ago… and no publicity for the surprise that your Tuesday evening class offered you. I see more of what this latter represents in spiritual expression, and I smile at the attitude of your news people in regard to “what is news”. It was a fine evening. Just be pleased that some thought enough of you to organize it and carry it out. And you needn’t change your evaluation of yourself. Be satisfied with “above average”. I am.